Surely many friends who have moved to different cities or countries do not exchange short messages on social networks every day, but occasionally write letters to each other about their lives. Some write by regular postal mail, others by email. Writing the letter itself is easy, but how to finish the letter? This is a problem for many. Today we’ll talk about how to finish a letter correctly.

A letter to a friend

To correctly finish a letter to a friend, first re-read the entire text, and at the same time check for errors. Perhaps you missed something that you can add while checking the letter.

For yourself, you need to know clearly: do you want to receive an answer instantly or do you expect that they will answer you when the opportunity arises? Before you write anything at the end of the letter, decide on a logical connection so that there is no feeling that the letter is not finished, unless, of course, you want to intrigue the recipient.

But how to finish a letter to a friend completely, leaving only a small phrase? You shouldn’t say goodbye too tediously, because you probably don’t say goodbye like that in life. When you have edited your letter, the end is meaningful and the thought is complete, then at the very end at the bottom of the letter you can add phrases such as:

• Your girlfriend/friend (Name);
• >Waiting for an answer;
• I want to see you soon;
• See you;
• Wait for a visit;
• Come soon;
• Kisses (NAME);
• Best wishes;
• Best wishes, your friend (Name).

Business letter

When completing a business letter, you need to check it even more carefully for errors and the correctness of the text, so that everything is clearly stated, so that there is nothing superfluous, naturally, without words such as “what,” “no problem,” and the like. Your tone should be quite confidential and fairly easy to understand.

When approaching the end of your story, you must finally somehow interest the addressee, because the end of the letter is more memorable. But this does not mean that you should not reveal all your cards at the beginning. Gradually you need to let your interest grow and at the end open up completely so that your letter remains in memory.

Before you think about how to finish a business letter, you should write down a list of documents attached to the letter, if any. The list must be numbered, and the documents must be attached in the order in which you previously indicated. The last phrase used in a business letter may sound like this:

• Sincerely (Name);
• I hope for cooperation;
• With respect (Name);
• Thank you for responding to my proposal.

Farewells in English in letters

When you communicate with friends or text with a loved one, you don't have to adhere to certain communication boundaries. Somewhere you can make a joke or write a word that you would not be able to use in a business letter. This allows you to communicate more openly.

Nowadays, young people use different slang, which is incomprehensible to the older generation. One of these slangs is the replacement of Russian words with foreign ones. How to end a letter in English is no different from the previous tips. Any letter should be checked so as not to lose face and not send it with a bunch of blots and unfinished thoughts. Just at the end you can add such a highlight as saying goodbye in English. As an example, we will provide you with several suitable phrases:

• With Love (Name) - With love (Name);
• Talk to you later - Let's talk later;
• Good Cheers!* - Have a good mood!*;
• Best wishes (Name) - Best wishes (NAME);
• See you soon - See you soon;
• Yours, (Name) - Yours/Your (Name);
• All the best - Best wishes;
• Thanks in advance - Thanks in advance for your answer;
• Good luck - I wish you good luck;
• Say hi to everyone - Say hello to everyone;
• Truly yours (Name) - Sincerely (Name);
• Sincerely yours (Name) - Sincerely yours (Name).

Correspondence is one of the most important ways of communication between people all over the world. With its help you can solve any issue: work, commercial, personal. This often saves time, because we don’t have to wait for the person to talk to him (it would be better if the letter was waiting for him in the mailbox).

Fortunately, today we don’t have to wait long, and a letter can be sent at lightning speed thanks to the Internet. However, to avoid embarrassment, it is important to know how to write it correctly in English. Let's put aside the officialdom and talk about pleasant things - today we are writing a letter to a friend.

Example of a friendly letter

Dear Paul,
Thank you for your letter! I"m glad to hear that you"ve passed your driving test! Congratulations!

I"m sorry I haven"t written for such a long time. I"ve been really busy with my new project. By the way, thank you for your brilliant idea. I really had the best presentation last time. I really appreciated your advice.

As for your question, I think all you have to do is just regular exercises. Don"t be lazy and try to find at least 20-30 minutes for your health every day. There is a rule of 30 minutes a day: if you do something at least 30 minutes a day you will have a result at the end of the week. For example, if you read 50 pages during this time, at the end of the week you"ll have total of about 350 pages. If we say that we don"t have enough time for it (as we usually do) we have 0 result at the end of the week. Besides, they say that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. So all you have to do is to take the bull by the horns and try it for just 3 weeks.

Unfortunately, I need to come back to my project. I hope my advice was helpful.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Take care,
Victor

Example of a letter to a friend

Thank you for your letter!

I'm glad to know that you passed your license! Congratulations!
Sorry I haven't written to you for a long time. I've been very busy with my new project. By the way, thanks for the great idea. I really had a great presentation last time. I really appreciated your advice.
Regarding your question, I think all you need to do is just regular exercise. Don't be lazy and try to find at least 20-30 minutes a day for your health. There is a 30 minutes a day rule: if you do something for at least 30 minutes a day, at the end of the week you will have results. For example, if you read 50 pages during this time, by the end of the week you will have 350 pages. If we say we don't have time for it (as we usually do), we will have zero results at the end of the week. Plus, they say it takes 21 days to form a new habit. So all you have to do is take the bull by the horns and try for 3 weeks.
Unfortunately, I need to get back to my project. I hope my advice was helpful.
I hope for a quick response.

What is informal English writing?

Such a letter is also used to ask for some information, to congratulate on a holiday, to ask for advice/give advice. A friendly letter can be written either to an old friend or to a new, unknown friend. The tone of the letter should show your love and concern for your friend.

How to start an informal letter?

Like any other type of letter, informal contains certain mandatory parts. Of course this is a greeting and a farewell. Start with a word Dear(dear) + the name of the person you are writing to. Also (especially in emails) you can start with the word Hi+ person's name.

For example: Dear Bob, or Hi Bob. Do not address a person by their last name or Mr, Mrs. This sounds too official and even ridiculous in combination with Dear.

In an informal letter, a comma is often placed after the name, and the text of the letter begins on a new line. In this case, it is important to maintain the style, that is, if you used a comma at the beginning, then repeat this technique at the end of the letter, saying goodbye.

What to write about in an informal letter?

• How are you?- How are you?
• How is your family?- How is your family?
• Thank you/Many thanks for your (recent/last) letter/postcard.- Thank you/I am very grateful for the (recent/latest) letter/card.
• I hope you are well.- I hope you are well.
• I was so surprised to hear that...- I was surprised to hear that...
• It was good / nice / great to hear from you again.- It was good/pleasant/wonderful to hear from you again.

If you haven’t communicated for a long time, the following phrases will do:

• It"s ages since I"ve heard from you. I hope you"re well/you and your family are well.- I haven’t heard anything from you for a hundred years. Hope you are ok/you and your family are ok.
• I"m sorry I haven"t written/haven"t been in touch for such a long time.- Sorry for not writing/keeping in touch for so long.

Examples of phrases and letter options in English

If a friend wrote about the news:

• Glad to hear that...- I'm glad to hear that...
• Great news about…- Great news about...
• Sorry to hear about…- Sorry to hear about...

• I thought you might be interested to hear about/know that…- I thought you might be interested to hear about/know that...
• Listen, did I tell you about …? You"ll never believe what…- Listen, did I tell you about...? You will never believe that...
• By the way, have you heard about / did you know that…?- By the way, have you heard about / did you know that...?
• Oh, and another thing... This is just to let you know that...- Oh, and one more thing... Just so you know that...

We apologize:

• I"m really sorry that I forgot to send you a birthday card but I was busy with my new job.- Sorry, I'm really sorry that I forgot to send you a birthday card, but I was busy with new work.
• I"m writing to apologize for missing your party but I"m afraid I was with flu.“I’m writing to apologize for missing your party, but I’m afraid I had the flu.”

We invite:

• Could you let me know if you can come / you"d like to join us?- Could you let me know if you can come/would you like to join us?
• I was wondering if you"d like to come on holiday with us.- I was wondering if you would like to go on holiday with us.
• I"m / We"re having a party on Saturday 13th and I / we hope you"ll be able to come.- I / We're having a party on Saturday the 13th and we hope you can come.

We respond to the invitation:

• Thank you very much for your invitation. I"d love to come.- Thanks a lot for the invitation. I'd love to come.
• Thank you for inviting me to… but I"m afraid I won"t be able to…- Thank you for the invitation to... but I'm afraid I can't...

We ask:

• I"m writing to ask for your help/you (if you could do me) a favor.- I am writing to you to ask for help / (could you do me) a favor.
• I wonder if you could help me/do me a favor.- I was wondering if you could help me / do me a favor.
• I"d be very / really / terribly grateful if you could…- I would be very/really/terribly grateful if you could.

Thank you:

• I"m writing to thank you for your hospitality/the wonderful present.- I am writing to you to thank you for your hospitality/wonderful gift.
• It was so kind of you to invite me to stay with you.- It was so nice of you to invite me to stay with you.
• I really appreciated all your help/advice.- I really appreciate your help/advice.

Congratulations/good luck:

• Congratulations on passing your exams/your excellent exam results!- Congratulations on your successful exams/excellent results!
• I wish you good luck/Good luck in/with your exams/your interview.- I wish you good luck/good luck in/at your exams/interviews.
• Don"t worry, I"m sure you"ll do well/pass.- Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll succeed / pass everything.

• Why don't you...?- Why do not you…?
• Maybe you could...?- Perhaps you could...?
• How about…?- What about…?
• You can"t leave Moscow without... (doing sth)- You can’t leave Moscow without... (having done something)
• I"m sure you will enjoy... (doing sth). If you like, we can...- I'm sure you'll like... (do something). If you want we can...

How to end an informal letter?

Of course, after we have shared everything, talked about everything, answered all the questions, we need to logically end the letter, we cannot just cut it off. For this we also have some templates, traditional phrases.

Tell me why you are ending the letter:

• Unfortunately, I need to / have to go.- Unfortunately, I need/I have to go.
• It's time to finish.- It's time to finish.
• Anyway, I must go and get on with my work!“Anyway, I need to go and get work done.”

Say hello or tell us about your next meeting/letter:

• Give my love / regards to... / Say hello to... - Give my regards to...
• Anyway, don"t forget to let me know the dates of the party.- In any case, don't forget to inform me about the dates of the party.
• We must try and meet up soon.- We should try to meet soon.
• I can't wait to hear from you.- I can't wait to hear from you.
• Look forward to seeing you again.- I look forward to meeting you again.
• Hope to hear from you soon.- I hope we'll hear from you soon.
• See you soon.- See you soon

And in conclusion, do not forget about the traditional wish from a new line

• Love,/Lots of love,- With love,
• All the best,- All the best,
• Take care,- Take care of yourself,
• Best wishes,- Best wishes.

Useful linking words

then- then
after it/that- after this/that
though- Although
so- so, therefore
that's why- therefore, that's why
besides- Besides
nevertheless- nevertheless
anyway- in any case, one way or another
fortunately- fortunately
unfortunately- Unfortunately

BONUS!

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Big and friendly EnglishDom family

Do you write business letters in English every day? Or are you just learning the basics of official correspondence in business English courses? Our selection of useful phrases and expressions will teach you how to write correct business letters in English and help diversify your speech.

Thanks to business etiquette, it is common knowledge that clients should be greeted at the beginning of the letter and goodbye at the end. Do problems begin when composing the body of the letter? How, for example, can you tell customers that the cargo is delayed, or how can you hint that it would be nice to receive money for services rendered? All this can be explained competently if you use the right “blanks” for various situations. With such “blanks”, writing letters will be a simple and enjoyable task.

Starting a letter or how to start a correspondence in English

At the beginning of every business letter, immediately after the greeting, you need to explain why you are writing all this. Perhaps you want to clarify something, get additional information, or, for example, offer your services. The following phrases will help with everything:

• We are writing - We write to…

To confirm... - confirm...
- to request ... – to request…
- to inform you that... – to inform you that...
- to enquire about ... - find out about ...

• I am contacting you for the following reason... – I am writing to you with the following purpose / I am writing to you in order to...
• I would be interested in (receiving/ getting information) - I would be interested in (acquiring/ receiving information)

Establishing contacts or how to tell your interlocutor how you know about him

Sometimes it is worth reminding your business partner when and how you last saw each other or discussed your cooperation. Maybe you already wrote a business letter on this topic a couple of months ago, or perhaps you met at a conference a week ago and started negotiating then.

• Thank you for your letter regarding ... – Thank you for your letter on the topic….
• Thank you for your letter of May 30. – Thank you for your letter of May 30.
• In reply to your request, ... – In response to your request..
• Thank you for contacting us. – Thank you for writing to us.
• With reference to our conversation on Tuesday... - Regarding our conversation on Tuesday...
• In reference with your recent letter - Regarding the letter recently received from you...
• It was a pleasure meeting you in New-York last week. – It was very nice to meet you in New York last week.
• I would just like to confirm the main points we discussed yesterday – I would like to confirm the main points that we discussed yesterday.

Expressing a request or how to tactfully ask your interlocutor in English

In business letters, sometimes you have to ask your partners for something. Sometimes you need a delay, and sometimes you need additional samples of material. To express all this, business English has its own established phrases.

• We would appreciate it if you would ... - We would be very grateful if you...
• Could you please send me/ tell us/ let us... - Could you please send me/tell us/allow us
• It would be helpful if you could send us ... - It would help us a lot if you could send us ...
• I would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter. “I would appreciate your immediate attention on this matter.”
• We would be grateful if you could ... - We would be grateful if you could ...

Complaining in English or how to make it clear that you are not happy

Unfortunately, it often happens that we don’t like something. But when writing business letters, we cannot give free rein to our feelings and say with a direct test what we think about the company and its services. It is necessary to use business English and carefully express your dissatisfaction. This way we can keep our business partner and let off some steam. Standard business correspondence phrases that will help with this:

• I am writing to complain about ... - I am writing to complain about ...
• I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with ... I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with ...
• I am afraid there may be a misunderstanding... - I'm afraid there is a misunderstanding...
• I understand it is not your fault, but... - I understand that it is not your fault, but...
• We wish to draw your attention to…. – We would like to draw your attention to

How to convey bad or good news in business letters in English

In business correspondence it often happens that we have to upset clients. It’s worth doing this gracefully so as not to anger your partner even more.

Bad news

• I am afraid that I must inform you that ... - I am afraid that we must inform you that ...
• Unfortunately we cannot / we are unable to ... - Unfortunately, we cannot / we are unable
• We regret to inform you that... - We regret to inform you that...
• I"m afraid it would not be possible to ... – I’m afraid that it will be impossible…
• After serious consideration we have decided to...- After serious consideration, we decided that...

Good news

Fortunately, sometimes everything works out well and we can please our clients with good news

• We are pleased to announce that... – We are pleased to announce that...
• It is our pleasure to announce that... - We have the pleasure to announce that...
• I am delighted to inform you that .. – I am pleased to inform you...
• You will be pleased to learn that ... - You will be glad when you find out that ...

Apologies or how not to anger the client even more

Of course, in business there are often problems. And it’s you who has to apologize for them. Be friendly, put yourself in the position of your interlocutor. Remember that it is better to apologize several times than to lose a valuable client.

• I regret any inconvenience caused by... We regret all the inconvenience caused by...
• Please accept our sincere apologies. – Please accept our sincere apologies.
• I would like to apologize for the delay /inconvenience... - I want to apologize for the delay / inconvenience
• Once again, please accept my apologies for... – Once again, accept my apologies for...

Money or how to show your partner that it's time to pay

Sometimes you want to write in plain text that it’s time to pay. But you can’t do this in business correspondence. Instead, we have to use softer constructions, behind which there is still the same tough question.

• According to our records... - According to our records...
• Our records show that we have not yet received payment of ... – Our records show that we have not yet received payment for ...
• We would appreciate if you cleared your account within the next days. – We will be grateful if you pay in the next few days.
• Please send payment as soon as possible/ promptly – Please send us payment as soon as possible.

Politeness in correspondence or how to hint at new meetings

You shouldn’t say goodbye to your business partners completely. Even after the end of the project, it is better for you to save the relationship for future orders.

Catch you later

At the end of business letters in English, it is often appropriate to remind your partner between the lines when you next expect information from him.

• I look forward to seeing you next week. – I look forward to our meeting next week
• Looking forward to receiving your comments, - I look forward to your comments.
• I look forward to meeting you on the (date). – I’m looking forward to our meeting with you (date).
• An early reply would be appreciated. – I will appreciate your quick response

See you

After a successful order, you should write the customer a short letter in English, informing him that you are not against a new project with him.

• I would be happy to have an opportunity to work with your firm again. – I would be glad to have the opportunity to work with your firm again.
• We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future. – We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future.
• We would be pleased to do business with your company. – We will be happy to do business with your company.

Of course, business English is not always easy. Luckily, our selection of business phrases should make your task a lot easier. Now it will take you much less time to compose a letter. So choose the right phrases, add your information and please your boss with beautiful business letters in English.

Shutikova Anna

Communication is one of the basic human needs, along with sleep and food. Modern people have several accessible and effective ways to talk with friends and relatives, colleagues and business partners. These include face-to-face communication, cellular communications and the Internet.

The last two methods appeared relatively recently. For a long time, it was possible to communicate at a distance only through messages. They were written by hand and sent by mail. This has survived to this day. However, handwritten ones have been replaced by emails.

Let's give a definition

The word "letter" has several meanings.

Firstly, it is a system of written signs, which is necessary for recording oral speech.

Example: Scientists have deciphered an ancient letter

Secondly, this is the appearance of informational text printed on paper.

Example: The students asked their teacher how to finish a letter in accordance with the norms accepted in the Russian language.

Thirdly, handwritten or electronic text that contains information intended for the addressee.

Example: A letter from home with important news from his father was received a week after it was sent.

And how to start it? All people ask themselves these questions, regardless of what kind of message they are writing: electronic or handwritten. In this article we have to answer the first of them.

Types of letters

Before we talk about how best to finish a letter, it’s worth understanding its types. This determines the overall tone and expressions used. So, the messages could be:

• business;
• personal;
• congratulatory.

It is customary to call this type of documentation that serves as a means of exchanging information between different organizations and institutions. It may also be called “official correspondence”. Some types of letters that fall into this category require a response (for example, petitions, appeals, requests), others do not (for example, warnings, reminders, statements).

A letter that is written by one private person and addressed to another is called personal.

Letters that are intended to congratulate an unofficial person, organization or institution on some joyful event or achievement are usually called congratulatory.

Below we will figure out how to finish a letter correctly, depending on its type and purpose.

General structure

Regardless of the type, all letters have approximately the same structure. It is worth noting that the first two points are typical only for official correspondence.

1. Sender's address.
2. Date of.
3. Greetings.
4. Text containing basic information.
5. Final phrases.
6. P.S.

Business correspondence

The writing of this type of correspondence should be treated with special attention, since errors in spelling, punctuation or punctuation by the sender can negatively affect the image of the company or institution that he represents. When composing sentences, preference should be given to simple sentences and a large number of complex constructions should be avoided. The overall tone should be respectful. The main thing is that the essence of the letter should be revealed at the end, since people pay more attention to this fragment of the text.

How to end a letter that has official status? The most successful closing phrases are:

• I hope for further fruitful cooperation.
• I hope for continued cooperation.
• Thank you for your attention.
• Sincerely, Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich.
• With respect, Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich.

How to beautifully end a letter to a private person

This type of correspondence does not require special attention from the compiler. However, in the process of writing, a person should still not forget about literacy. In this regard, it is much easier to write emails since errors found can be easily corrected. In the case of handwritten text, you will have to rewrite the finished text.

Before starting the process, you need to decide on the main content and reaction of the recipient. If it is important for the sender to receive a response as soon as possible, then it is better to make appropriate notes in the final part. The ending should be a logical conclusion to everything written above, otherwise it can put the recipient in an awkward position and make him think about what the sender wanted to say.

The most common phrases used at the end of a letter are:

• Your friend, Peter.
• See you!
• Waiting for an answer.
• Kisses, Maria.
• Come as soon as possible.
• All the best, your friend Peter.

The sender can come up with the ending of the letter himself. In this case, it will have a unique character and the recipient will definitely like it.

When answering the question of how you can end a letter of congratulations, you need to pay attention to its appearance. If the sender and recipient are officials, then the final phrases should be neutral. In other cases, a certain freedom is allowed.

Let's sum it up

Question: “How to finish a letter?” - quite logical. Communication by phone and on social networks is based on laws that differ from those adopted during correspondence. However, every person has to act as a letter writer at least once in his life. Therefore, it is necessary to have a general understanding of the canons and rules existing in this area. Otherwise, the first experience may be the last. But writing a letter, sending it and waiting for a response from the addressee is an exciting process.

Like the form of address, the signature in the letter (the final politeness formula) depends on who you are writing the letter to. The most general formula seems to be Sincerely yours. Depending on the tone and style of the entire letter, it can be interpreted as strictly formal, less formal, or completely informal. This formula can be translated into Russian Sincerely or Sincerely yours / Sincerely yours. The following formula options exist:
Sincerely,
Sincerely yours,
Very sincerely yours,
Yours sincerely,
Yours very sincerely,
Always sincerely yours, etc.

In addition, the following forms are used in correspondence:
– official style:

Yours truly / Yours very truly – With respect / Devoted to you (formally and officially)

Truly yours/ Very truly yours – Sincerely / Devoted to you (somewhat less formally, but still officially)

– less formal style:

Faithfully yours – Best regards

Cordially yours – Sincerely yours
Best Regards– Sincerely/Best wishes (if the addressee is a colleague (close, not entirely formal acquaintance) or friend)
Best Wishes– Best wishes

–subordinates Usually they turn to their superiors:

Respectfully yours - Best regards

– informal style (for example, in letters to relatives or well-known people):

Yours cordially,
Very cordially yours – Cordially yours / Yours

Faithfully yours,
Yours (always) faithfully – Always devoted to you / to you

Yours ever,
Ever yours,
As ever,
Yours as always – Always yours / Yours

Yours affectionately,
Lovingly yours – Loving you / you

Devotedly (yours),
Yours truly - Devoted to you / to you

Your very sincere friend – Yours / Your sincere friend

– in a letter close friends And relatives:
Affectionately (yours),
Yours affectionately,
Yours with love – Loving you

(Lots of) love,
(Lots of) kisses – Kisses

Your loving son/daughter – Your loving son/daughter
Your devoted niece - Devoted niece to you

After the final politeness formula, a comma is placed, and the first or last name is written on the next line (Please note that in English the first name is always written first, and then the last name):
Yours sincerely,
Kitty Brown